Sterilizing device



E. n. uLmcH. sTERlLl'zlNG DEVICE.

APPLCATION FILED FEB. i8. l921.

Patented Dee. 6, 1921.

SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR. Ed rd R. Ill/71571 BY 66W,

ATTORNEY.

E. Rf ULRICH.

STERILIZING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. Is, 1921.

1,398,983, y Patented Dee. 6, 1921'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EDWARD R. ULRICH, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STERILIZING- DEVICE.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

Application filedV February 18, 1921. Serial No.v 445,931.

T 0 all whom t may concern# Be it known that I, EDWARD fR. ULRICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sterilizing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sterilizing devices, the general object of which is to provide a draweror similar container constituting an element of the device which will cause the said container to eject its gaseous contents so the contents will be practically exhausted or displaced incident to an opening operation, and which will be recharged incident to the drawer becoming -re laced into its vnormal position.

n carrying vout the present invention a reservoir or chamber for the sterilizing substance is provided contiguous to and in communication with a suction bellows, and otherwise arranged so when the drawer is withdrawn from its compartment, a vacuum is formedy which .will exhaust a portion of the air and gaseous contents of the drawerspace and the suction bellows will extend and d rawy charged air or gas from the reservoir preparatoryto ejecting it into the drawer space incident 'to the drawer being replaced into its compartment normally,

The present invention, therefore, is adaptedto be used as a sterilizer chamber in which to store instruments andmaterial it is desired to sterilize, or to preserve from contamination by vexposure to ordinary air. It will appear that when the drawer is drawn outwardly from its compartment, the sterilizing gas contained inthe drawer-space is largely withdrawn by vacuum action into and through a purifier, and thence into the outside air. Then when the drawer is replaced the gaseous condition normally existing in the drawer-space is re'e'stablished.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top sectional view of the drawer and its compartment; Fig.' 2 is a side elevationof the same; FigfB is a section view in perspecti've of a modified form ,of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a second modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 1.

Referring to the preferred lernbodiment of the present invention as set forth 1n Figs.

ment 8, there can be no air or 1 and 2, the drawer 5 has a flexible washer made of leather, rubber or similar resilient material attached to its end 7. The washer 6 1s larger in area than the cross section of the drawer compartment 8, so when the drawer 5 is withdrawn from its compartgas passage past the washer at its contact surface.

A check-valve 9 covers and is adapted to seal the hole 10, in the end of the drawer. A washer 11 serves to seal the drawer from gas leakage when it is closed. A purifier or exhaust funnel 12 connects by way of hole `13 with the space 8 and a check-valve 14, is adapted-to seal the'said hole 13, as will appear. y Y

Attached below the drawer compartment 5 is a bellows 16. The said 16 is adapted to extend and compress as by the drawer being opened or closed. A bracket 17 secured to the front of the drawer 18 has attached to it the Vrod 19, whichcoperates slidably through the bracket 20, attached to the under side of the drawer compartment so as the drawer is drawn outwardly or pushed inwardly the rod 19 will slide through the' bearing portion of the bracket'20. The end 21, ofthe bellows has a bracket 22, attached concentrically to it,

and has a hole (not shown) through which the rod 19 may slide. collar 24; adjustable along the rod 19 is secured to the said 19 by a setscrew. Also, a collar 25, adjustable along the rod 19 is secured to the said 19 by a setscrew. It will thus be clear that the said collars 24 and 25 may be respectively adjusted to the rod 19, so the drawer will have been withdrawn a predetermined distance before the collar 25 will engage the yoke 22 to extend the bellows 16, and that the drawer will have been pushed inwardly a predetermined distance before the collar Q24 will engage the yoke 22, to compress the bellows 16. Therefore, for 'eachopening or withdrawing of the drawer the bellows is extended, drawing `gas (or charged air) from the generator 26, containing the'basic substance involved in the sterilizing agentv and it will cause the bellows to be compressed driving out the said gas or charged air upon the drawer being pushed inwardly into normal position.

26, a check-valve 27 is introduced between the intake hole 28 of the bellows and the generator 26 so as to block or obstruct the channel to back-dow. A second check-valve 39 is introduced, designed to perform a reverse function to that of check-valve 27 in that it will block the passage of gas directed inwardly to the bellows, but will permit the free exhaustion of the bellows through the conduit-way 30.

A slot 31 extends crosswise of the drawer and a second slot 32 which coincides or registers with the slot 31 extends crosswise of the drawer compartment. `A washer 33, of resilient material, preferably, borders the slot 32, to act as a sealing agent against escape of gas when the drawer is in off-normal position. Member 34 supported on strips 35 and 36 forms a rack or false bottom for the articles in the drawer to rest upon, allowing free space for the gas to circulate.

In view of the foregoing description it is now manifest that when the drawer is' drawn outwardly the bellows 16 draws gas from the generator 26 and at the same time a vacuum is created in the space at the right of the washer 6. The latter serves todraw the gas from the drawer through the check-valve 9 and into the space formed by the withdrawn drawer. Then, upon lthe drawer being pushed inwardly the compression of the gas in the space created by the drawer being withdrawn will force the gas thus contained through the check-valve 14 and out into the open air through the exhaust funnel or purifier 12. At the time the drawer is vpushed inwardly the bellows 16 is compressed at or near the position of normal of the drawer, so that the gas contained in the bellows will be ejected through the check-valve 39, the

conduit 30, slots 32 and 33 into the drawer valves 46 and 47 and washer 48, respectively correspond to 12 14, 6 and 9 in Figs. 1 and `2. When the drawer is drawn outwardly, a vacuum is formed, in space 46 and .when the drawer is pushed inwardly the gas 'drawn into the space 46 is ejected through the purillier 45. When the drawer is returned to'normal position, the communication 4with the chamber 43, is restablished, and in view of a partialvacuum being formed in the space 44incident to the drawingof the gas into the space 46, while the slots-,41.,and 42 are out of` registry, gas will be drawn from the chamber 43 into the drawer space 44. j

Referring to Fig. .4, check-valves 51 and washer 53 `andexhaust funnel 54, correspond to 9, 14, 6 and 12, respectively in Figs. 1 and 2. A bellows 55 held extended by compression springs 56 and 57 is operated by bell crank 58, connecting rod 59 and bell crank 60, whereupon when the drawer 61 is' closed the bellows will be compressed. It thus follows that when the drawer is pulled outwardly gas will be drawn from the drawer space into space 62. However, at the first outward movement of the drawer when bell crank 58 is released gas is drawn from the drawer chamber into the bellows 55, by reason of the bellows extending under the resilience of the compression springs 56 and 57. Then, when the drawer is closed this gas is expelled into the drawer augmenting the gas emitted from the generator 63, throughthe hole 64.

I-Iaving thus clearly described the present invention,

I claim 1. In asterilizer, a sliding drawer, a gas generating chamber, a means for drawing thegas contents from the drawer by an automatically operating suction mechanism incident to opening the drawer and means for injecting a new supply of gas into the drawer incident to closing the drawer.

2. In a sterilizer, a sliding drawer, a gas generating chamber, a means for ejecting the gas contents from the drawer into an intermediate chamber incident to opening the drawer, a means for ej ecting the gas from the intermediate chamber into the youtside air and for injecting a new supply of gas into the drawer incident to closing Vthe drawer.

3. In a sterilizer, a sliding drawer, a gas generating chamber, ,a gas purifier, a means for ejecting the gas contents from the drawer incident to opening it and means for ej ecting the'ejected gas through the purifier into the air incident to closing the drawer.

4. In a sterilizer, a container for the objects to be sterilized, a gas generating ychamber, a gas purifier, a means for ejecting the 110 gas contents of the container into an intermediate exhaust chamber, andy meanswhere-` by when the drawer is closed the gas will be ejected lfrom the said intermediate chamber through the gas purifier` intothe -open air 115 and a new supply of gas will be injected into the container. i i, j.

5. In a sterilizer, a gas `generating chamber, a bellows, a sterilizing drawer having a `valve piston head formed by the end of the V said chamber, means for'causing the gas to i means for causing the gas to be ejected from ing the chamber.

6. Inasterilizer, a

the bellows into the drawer incident to close drawer having an end thereof formed toractasan air tight Vpacked 130 piston head containing a valve for admitting the passage of gaseous matter in one direction only.

7. In a sterilizer, a gas generating means,

a gas circulating means, an automatically operating suction mechanism, a drawer for containing` objects to be sterilized and means whereby when operating the drawer to open the said suction mechanism will be operated t0 abstract gas from the drawer and when 10 my name this 15th day of February, A. D., 15

EDWARD R. ULRICH. 

